Wings of an Angel
by Henrika
Summary: She didn't want to believe it, but there was no denying the large black wing that hung like a spectre over Cloud Strife's body as he slept. CloudTifa.
1. Spectre of the Past

Wings of an Angel  
By Henrika

Henrika- I just had this image of Sephiroth's angel wing being kind of a shadow, thus my muses attacked me. Voila! It has potential to continue, so if you'd like it to, please tell me and I will begin work. Enjoy and review!

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Night had long ago descended over the quiet town of Edge before Tifa Lockheart ushered the last patron out of Seventh Heaven. She locked the door, gave the bar a quick wipe-down and shut out the lights before she headed up the stairs, knowing by constant repetition where each step lay in the dark.

Reaching the moon-striped landing, she inched her way along until she reached the first door. Even in the dark, Tifa could make out the brightly colored sign on the door that proclaimed, "Marlene and Denzel's room". Tifa opened the door silently and peered in at the two small bodies, her eyes finally adjusting to the dark.

The two children were sleeping soundly, Marlene clutching a plush chocobo that Barrett had brought her on his last visit. That pair had somehow convinced Cloud to play with them all day and the man had done the impossible and finally worn them out. Tifa had jokingly accused him of casting sleep on the two when he had come through the door with a snoozing child slung over each arm, but he had claimed innocence and went to bed not long after the children. "Good night." Tifa whispered, shutting the door softly.

Moving along to the door at the end of the hall, she hesitated for a moment before opening it, even though she had done this routine for a few years, even though she had known the occupant since they were kids.

She pushed open the door and gazed at the sleeping man, his blonde hair scattered messily over the pillow. He was facing her, but his normally brilliant mako eyes were shut in a peaceful sleep. Unfortunately, Tifa knew exactly how fast that peace could morph into one of too many nightmarish memories. And almost as soon as she thought of this, Cloud's handsome face changed from its peaceful expression to completely slack with the hint of a frown drawing on his lips, something she had never seen before.

She squinted her eyes in the dark, praying she wasn't seeing what had suddenly appeared. But she couldn't deny it. Rising above Cloud's shoulder was a large, black, translucent, angel wing. Just one. And Tifa knew of only one person that had earned the title "one-winged angel".

She stifled her scream as she rushed across the room, grabbing hold of and desperately shaking the man. Her hand passed through the wing and she shuddered, an icy chill racing up her arm. "Cloud!" He wasn't responding. "Cloud!" The wing expanded, nearly filling the small room. "Cloud!" It became more solid, the black feathers brushing over Tifa's hands. "Cloud!" He still wasn't moving and she made a quick decision. Her fist rammed into his stomach, full force.

Blue eyes flew open in the second before he flew off the bed. The wing disappeared as he thudded against the floor and there was a slight groan after Cloud skidded and slammed into the dresser.

Tifa ran to the door and flipped on the light before she ran to Cloud's side. "I'm so sorry. You weren't waking up and you were scaring me and…" She stopped suddenly as something small and black swished into her frame of vision. Cloud was still clutching his stomach with both hands, but he opened eyes that were clenched shut when Tifa stopped talking.

The small black feather floated down between the two, Cloud's eyes widening in horrified recognition as he saw it. He looked up at Tifa, who was struggling for words. "You weren't waking up. I was so afraid and I'm so sorry." He closed his eyes again, but not before Tifa caught sight of the glossy tears already starting to form over his too-bright mako eyes. Drawing his head into her lap, she ran a hand through his hair.

"I'm so sorry."

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Henrika- My "s" key keeps falling off my laptop keyboard so if you notice mistakes, please tell me. I think I caught most of them, but still...


	2. Still More Fighting

Wings of an Angel  
By Henrika

Henrika- Due to favorable response, I decided to continue this story. My muses quickly attacked me and the darn thing keeps growing. Still working on final structure, but rest assured that there will be a few more chapters after this.

Also, I got my english version of Advent Children. I think I still favor the Japanese voice cast, but I really did like the English version.

Note- Finals are killing me. As in the "I want to whack my head against a wall repeatedly" kind of way. Sigh. At least I'm feeding the angst bunnies.

Enjoy and Review!

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One Cure3 spell, a roll of bandages, and an uneasy night later, Tifa rose to make the children breakfast. They were already downstairs when she got there, quietly playing a card game and waiting patiently for her.

Marlene noticed her first. "Good morning." She whispered. And Tifa realized that the children already knew something had happened in the night. She supposed she shouldn't have been surprised; the children always seemed to be able to tell when either Cloud or she had had a bad night.

"Is Cloud okay? We heard some noises in the night, but we heard you with him." Denzel explained.

"He's sick today." Tifa said, an image of the pale man she had just left springing to mind.

"We didn't make him sick, did we?" Denzel asked fearfully.

"No, no. You didn't do anything wrong. He's just not feeling too well today. I'm sure it had nothing to do with you three playing together yesterday."

"Oh." Both kids still looked downcast.

"Tell you what. I'll make breakfast for us. Then I'll make Cloud some soup and you two can make him a get-well card. How does that sound?"

"That's a great idea Tifa!" Marlene bounced in her seat. "What should we put on the card?" She asked Denzel.

Satisfied that she had averted two gloomy moods, Tifa set to making breakfast. Unfortunately, she couldn't prevent her own dark thoughts. One by one, she cracked three eggs into a pan and set it over the stove, which she clicked on. _Three times he's been defeated._ She mused. _Three times and he just won't stay dead. What's going to happen this time? Will he take over Cloud again? Will Cloud become another Sephiroth?_ She gave the eggs a furious whisk, annoyed at herself for thinking such a thing. But even as she scraped the eggs onto three plates she had already set with fruit, she couldn't stop the doubt.

"Tifa?"

"Huh?"

"You're scowling? What's wrong?" Marlene asked.

"Nothing. I'm just a little tired." She recalled something Vincent had said, about Kadaj being a "chrysalis". She herself had said that Cloud probably knew that Kadaj would become another Sephiroth. She had a sick feeling she meant Cloud too. "Dig in!"

$(#()#)($&(&$()&#(&)(

Tifa knocked softly on the door, arms laden with a tray of food and a colorful card with a crayon drawing of Cloud, Marlene, and Denzel playing together. "Cloud?" She nudged the door open with her toe.

He was still laying on his bed, staring straight up at the ceiling. Sunlight was streaming over his hair, igniting the blonde into a fiery halo and reminding Tifa uncomfortably of the angel comparison. "Hey." He said, without turning to look at her. She set the tray on his nightstand and perched sideways on hi bed.

"How are you feeling?"

"You pack quite a punch." He said, smiling before he winced. "Sorry."

"You better be apologizing for the bad cliché. I was the one who hit you, so don't you apologize."

"It's all right. Don't worry about it."

Tifa sighed, knowing that when Cloud had taken a measure of guilt, he refused to give it up until he had received forgiveness from everyone, even himself. "Do you need a potion?" She asked instead.

He pulled a hand out form under the covers and fingered the bandages around his chest. They were more of a precaution than anything and he played with the edges of them for a moment, assessing his pain. Mako strength had made him capable of withstanding tremendous amounts of pain, but he wasn't kidding when he said Tifa hit hard. "Yeah."

She handed him a tiny green potion, uncorking it for him. He gulped it down; shuddering as the liquid numbed the pain. "Better?"

"Better." He affirmed.

"How about some soup?" There was a growing sense of avoiding the subject uncomfortably filling the room, but the pair did their best to ignore it.

"What kind?"

"Chicken noodle."

"That sounds good actually." He attempted to sit up and Tifa quickly moved to help him. Once he was propped up against some pillows, she handed him the bowl. Silence reigned for a long while, broken only by Cloud's quiet sipping or Tifa's occasional shift on the mattress.

"What did you see?" Cloud asked finally, setting the bowl aside and waiting patiently for her to answer.

"When?"

He frowned. "Last night Tifa. What did you see?"

"Oh."

"Please Teef. I have to know."

"You had a black wing. One black wing. Just like his." She said quietly. The silence that settled in pressed down on the pair like a lead weight, Cloud bowing his head under it. "What does it mean?" Tifa blurted out. "What's happening to you!"

He scratched his head nervously, a habit he had absorbed from Zack. "I…Sephiroth…he…I don't know!" He yelled in frustration, slamming his fists against the mattress.

Tifa jumped, surprised by the uncommon outburst. "Cloud…" She trailed off, watching him ineffectually beat his fist against the mattress until he finally tired. He clutched his stomach suddenly, slumping back against the pillows as pain and exhaustion trumped angry confusion.

"Saving the world twice should have been enough." He whispered. "Proving that I'm myself and not Zack or Sephiroth should have been enough."

"I know." Tifa moved so she was sitting beside him, allowing his head to rest against her shoulder. She ran her fingers through his hair over and over. "I know."

"I was a failed clone. Failed. There was no way I could successfully become another Sephiroth."

"And you won't."

"I will. You saw what happened Tifa. You can't deny that."

"Can you stop it?"

He paused. "I don't know."

"Then don't you dare give up on me before you try." She admonished seriously.

"Is it ever going to be enough?" He asked, almost to himself.

"Oh." Tifa turned back to the tray and grabbed the card from Denzel and Marlene. "I think you should ask them that."

He opened at the card, smiling at the carefully crayoned message of, "Get well soon Cloud. We have lots more games to play. Love, Marlene and Denzel."

"What do I do Tifa?" He asked finally."

"Fight it. It's what you do best. Fight and win and be Cloud Strife."

He sighed, relaxing against her shoulder. "I'm so tired though."

She leaned over and kissed his forehead. "I know. Rest for now and we'll fight it together."

"Okay."

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Henrika- Forge on? Or abandon now? Review please, I need to know!


	3. A History of Sorts

Wings of an Angel  
By Henrika

Henrika- IMPORTANT! It pertains to this chapter and to this story so please read. One, I have no intention of abandoning this story. I was just seeing if other people liked the concept. The story is already plotted and having its kinks worked out. Second, speaking of those kinks, we have this chapter. Explanations are given herein, and I will ask not to have people jump on my back. I'm implying something, which will not necessarily come true. In fact, the next chapter and the one directly after that will have a more concise explanation of what's really going on (I'm tempted to post it in the next few days, just to clear up the inevitable confusion and gnashing of teeth about the plot).

In essence, bear with me on this one. Explanations will come further on, though the background laid here will come into play.

Third and final, I'm stuck in finals week. My brain is currently resembling a gooshy pile of mush and will continue to do so for the remainder of this week. If I get some time and some inspiration, I will continue to let my muses abuse me with FFVII fics. Cheers! Enjoy and review!

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"Reeve!" The door opened further. "Vincent!" 

"May we come in?" Reeve asked, shaking the rain off his blue coat.

"Yeah, but what are you doing here?" Cloud asked from where he was propped up on the couch, dressed in his usual attire minus his boots and armor. The question wasn't unfriendly, but it had enough suspicion that Reeve dropped his lie about the WRO visiting Edge to check up on the new town.

"Tifa called." He said instead.

"Oh." Cloud leaned back against the couch as Reeve and Vincent took the armchairs opposite him. "She's in back with the kids."

"You know we came here to talk to you." Vincent said, shifting forward. Cloud suddenly had to stifle a laugh in the back of his mind before it even got to this throat. The sight of Vincent lounging so casually in Tifa's comfy brown chairs was so at odds with the red-cloaked gunman that Cloud had to remind himself he'd be shot quickly if he said so.

Reeve pulled a sheaf of paper from a satchel Cloud hadn't noticed, effectively distracting him from Vincent. "If there is one thing that can be said for Hojo, it's that he meticulously documented his madness."

"I don't want to hear anything about that man." The blonde said sharply, rearranging the dark green blanket Tifa had laid over him to hide the way his hands had started to tremble.

"You will hear it though." Vincent said, his crimson gaze piercing enough that even Cloud couldn't stand it for long.

"Fine." He said petulantly, resisting the urge to cross his arms and huff under his breath.

Cloud waited for Reeve to start speaking, but it was Vincent's deep voice that filled the room. "Sephiroth was Lucrecia's child. While Sephiroth was still in the womb, she injected herself with Jenova cells, mistakenly believing they were the cells of the Cetra. As a result, Jenova found a puppet that could call forth the calamity from the skies that she desired." He paused for a moment. "Jenova invaded his mind when he found out about his creation. He set out to bring forth the Planet's destruction. He started and failed in Nibelheim. Because of you."

"But he…"

Reeve leafed through a report. "You and the SOLDIER named Zack were given to Hojo as test subjects. You were subjected to high amounts of Mako and Jenova cells. The experiments failed on Zack completely. But you had a different reaction. You…"

"Shut up Reeve. I already know this part. I know it far too damn well."

"Fine. Hojo tried to make you into Sephiroth. He failed. You weren't rejecting the cells, but you weren't accepting them either. Then you escaped." Cloud gripped the blanket hard enough for his knuckles to change color, but Reeve took a path Cloud hadn't heard before. "Even though Hojo wrote you off as a failure, his personal notes suggested that he suspected something special about you."

"And?"

"Sephiroth's remnants. Even though he would never know of Kadaj and the others, he predicted their existence."

"What does that have to do with me?"

"You already know, don't you?" Vincent asked.

There was a long silence, one that attempted to choke all the air out of the room.

"Oh, I didn't think you two were coming today, what with the weather being so bad." Tifa stepped into the room, effectively shattering the silence. She flicked on a lamp to brighten the gloom from outside. "Would you like something to drink?"

"I'm the source, aren't I?" Cloud interrupted. "The remnants came from me. That's why they called me "Brother". And now that the remnants are gone, Sephiroth's last chance of destroying the Planet is me. If he can activate the Jenova cells already in me with others, I have the potential to become a successful clone. To become Sephiroth."

Tifa gasped. Reeve looked away while Vincent nodded. "In all likelihood, if the cells are obtained, that is what will happen." He said. "But…"

"But?" Cloud asked, a strange sense of complacency descending over him as his own prediction sunk in. He couldn't place the feeling.

"You've defeated him three times and managed to break his influence over you when he was controlling you. It accounts for something. There's a chance that if you can defeat his this time, Sephiroth will be cleansed from this planet in everything but memory."

"He told me he would never become a memory."

"He also believes himself to be immortal. There is no such thing Cloud."

"So I can fight this?"

"You have that choice."

"Vincent! How can you say that?" Tifa asked.

"You had geostigma. You gave up. You have the same option now."

"I…"

"Cloud." He easily recognized the pleading tone in Tifa's voice.

"I'm going to fight this." He reassured her. "I'm just not sure how."

"And that's where we come in." Reeve said, laying more reports on the table. "Knowledge is the best weapon in these kind of situations.

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Henrika- I'm begging you, read the note at the start. Explanations and a vicious twist are headed your way soon! 


	4. Confessions in the Dark

Wings of an Angel  
By Henrika

Henrika- Finals were horrible. Enough said.

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She'd woken with a start upon realizing the space next to her on the bed was empty. She had been sleeping in his room since that night (in his bed actually, once he finally convinced her that it was smarter than sleeping in a chair). She sat up, willing her eyes to adjust to the dark.

He was standing next to the window, eyes focused on and beyond something outside. "Go back to bed." And apparently focused on her as well.

"You should be getting some rest." She said, glancing over at the clock that proclaimed 1:52 in soft red lines.

"Not tired."

"Cloud…"

"Really, I'm not." She glanced out the window, trying to find what he was looking at. It appeared through the darkness, a great stone angel. She had a funny feeling of déjà vu then, remembering that they had been in almost the same positions, she waking up from her fight with Loz and he staring out the window at that statue.

She stood, walking over to him. She didn't say anything, just wrapped her arms around his neck. They stood like that for a long time.

"It's not real." He said finally.

"What?"

"It's not real. Sephiroth had no use for failures. He would have no reason to take me over."

"Last chance." Tifa murmured his own words against his bare shoulder, feeling the rough bandages around his chest through her thin t-shirt.

"But Jenova is gone. Kadaj had the last of her cells."

"You had _his_ wing."

"I'm a failure. I can't. I can't become him."

"It was real." There was a long pause before he spoke.

"I think…"

"Hmm?"

"I think I'm afraid."

"Of what?" She asked. She tried to face him, but he place his hand over her clasped fingers and prevented her from letting him go.

"I wasn't afraid to die. Before, when geostigma hit. I was ready to let go, to give up and die. But I was afraid of disappointing you. All of you. Marlene, Denzel, you. I left because I was ready to die and you wouldn't be able to let me. I knew you'd be disappointed in me either way, but I thought I would hurt less if you didn't have to see me like that. I'm staying this time, but…" He choked on his words for a moment. "I need to know that it's okay to die. If I fight and lose, I need to know that you knew I tried."

"You're not going to die." Tifa desperately wished she could see his face, but his grip had tightened slightly as he spoke.

"Please Tifa." He was pleading. He never pleaded. She felt something wet against her hand.

"Cloud."

"Please."

"I'll forgive you." He sagged in her arms suddenly and she struggled for a moment to support his weight. "Cloud?"

She lowered them both to the ground, realizing Cloud was unconscious. And that the wet stain on her hand that she thought came from his tears was a deep blue-black. She glanced down at his torso, the same stain spreading across the once-white bandages. She felt her own tears begin to splatter over her hands and mingle with the thick tears his body was crying.

Geostigma had returned.

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Henrika- Haha! Bet you didn't see that one coming! And don't worry, there is an excellent explanation. Hope you enjoyed. Please review!


	5. Calm Before the Storm

Wings of an Angel  
By Henrika

Henrika-Finally! We get to the real explanation! I was _so_ evil to leave that cliffhanger. Though, I hate to say it, I kind of did it again. Don't kill me (innocent look). Thank you so much for all the reviews and for being so patient with me. I love you guys! Enjoy and Review!

* * *

She wasn't really aware of anything as she carried the pile of dirty bandages down the stairs. It was unlike her, both as a fighter and as a person to ignore everything. But even with that truth, she still jumped when Marlene and Denzel confronted her at the foot of the stairs. Their eyes were drawn instantly to the blackened bandages. 

"Is Cloud sick again?"

"Is the Planet mad at Cloud?

"Is it coming back?" Denzel asked, hand going to his forehead. Tifa shook her head, walking past the children.

_How can I answer when even I don't understand?_ She thought, depositing the bandages in the trash. "I don't think so. I'm sure you'll be just fine." And then the question Marlene had asked hit her. "Marlene, what did you ask?"

"I said, is the Planet mad at Cloud?"

And suddenly Tifa knew exactly where she had to go to get answers. But she was faced with two problems, one that was staring her in the face and one that was sweating and moaning in his sleep upstairs. "Marlene, you remember how you took care of Denzel right?" The little girl nodded her head. "Can you show Denzel what to do?"

"Yes!"

Tifa grabbed Cloud's keys off the tiny hook behind the bar, sorting through them until she found Fenrir's. She knelt down in front of the pair. "I need you two to do something very important. I need you to take care of Cloud until I get back. And I want you to call me if he gets worse at all. Do you understand?"

"Where are you going Tifa?" Denzel asked, looking slightly scared at how serious Tifa was being.

"I'm going to find out why Cloud's sick. And I need you two to watch him while I'm gone, okay?" She put a hand on each of their shoulders. "This is very important. Can I trust you guys with this?"

"Of course!" Denzel answered.

"We'll do our very best!" Marlene said.

"I'm counting on you guys." She smiled, breaking the tension. She checked to make sure she had her phone. "Remember to call me if anything happens okay?"

"Okay!"

Tifa watched the children scurry up the stairs to Cloud's room before she walked outside, locating the large black motorcycle next to the bar. Cloud's goggles hung off the handlebars and she put them on, adjusting the strap so they fit her. She swung a leg over the seat and started the engine, making sure not to activate the sword rack as she leaned forward and kicked the bike into motion, aiming it towards Midgar and the remains of Sector 5.

She wasn't nearly as steady on the bike as Cloud was, but she had no trouble reaching her destination in record time. She flipped the kickstand and stood outside for a moment, already absorbing the calm that the place radiated. She pulled off the goggles and hung them on the handlebar, walking through the entryway of the building, the doors having been torn off when Fenrir had slammed through them.

It was always going to be _her_ church. Even though most of the pews were smashed to bits, the stone columns fallen and broken, half of the stained glass was cracked or shattered, and most of the floor taken up by the enormous pool of healing water; the church still radiated the peace and calm that Aeris had always radiated. Tifa walked through the rubble, grateful that everyone had banded together to clear a path to the pool.

She reached the pool and gazed down into it, happy to see that the flowers had again started to grow on the borders.

"Aeris? I need to ask you a question. It's about Cloud."

The church remained silent, the only noise being the soft ripple of the water as Tifa sat down by the edge and passed her hand through it. _This won't cure him this time. _And once she thought it, she knew it was true. "But does that mean he's just going to die? After everything he's done, he's just going to have to die?"

A drop of water rose up from the surface before dropping back down. ""We're trying to save him."

A pair of booted feet and the hem of a pink dress came into Tifa's line of vision. She looked up and there was Aeris, standing beside her and gazing out on the water's surface. "What?"

"We're trying to save him. The Planet wants him to live, but they can't afford to let Sephiroth have another chance."

"So, wait. You mean that…"

"The Planet caused his Geostigma."

"Why would you do that! He's in so much pain!"

"I know." Aeris said softly, a catch in her throat.

"Then why are you doing this to him?" Tifa asked her just as quietly.

"There's something like the Lifestream in the body. Geostigma is a disease that gets rid of bad things like Sephiroth by eliminating them from the body. The Planet decided that this is the easiest way to destroy Jenova's legacy, even though Cloud has to suffer."

Tifa mulled that over for a moment. "But Cloud said the remnants were coming from him. Won't this make more of them?"

"The Planet will prevent that."

"How?"

"It will."

"Is he going to die?"

"I trust him to pull through this."

Tifa thought over what else her friend had said. "You said there was something like the Lifestream in the body. Is there any way to summon something like Holy? Would that help him?"

And for the first time since she had appeared, Aeris looked down at her friend and smiled. "He loves you, you know."

"What?"

"He loves you. He loved me too," She added, seeing the incredulous look on Tifa's face. "But I think he got confused when he had Zack's feelings and his own all mixed up in his head. Zack and I love each other and I think that Cloud, _just_ Cloud, loved me like a sister. He really loves you though." The flower girl paused for a moment. "Holy…mmm. It's not a bad idea really."

"But…"

"Of course, the White Materia is at the bottom of a lake, but I'm sure _that_ would work." Aeris muttered happily, until Tifa finally had to catch her attention.

"Aeris!"

"Oh sorry. I was just thinking that maybe you could summon his Holy. The one I summoned was a deep love for the Planet and I'm positive that you could do the same for Cloud!"

"Really?"

"It's worth trying. Anything that could help someone is worth trying."

The women rested in the calming silence for a moment before Tifa spoke. "You really did keep your promise didn't you?"

"Hmm?"

"_I'll come back when it's all over_. That's what you told Cloud right? And you did. You came back and protected us, just like you promised."

"We'll all be together again someday. But Zack and I are willing to wait a long time to see you all again."

"How is Zack?"

"Running around as a wolf half the time." She giggled. "But he makes a much better pillow than Nanaki." The pair giggled, Tifa snickering as she imagined the kind SOLDIER from her memories acting as a pillow for her friend. "I think he likes to check up on everyone."

Tifa fingered the ring on her finger, the wolf head design matching the ones on Cloud's armor and earring. "I think you're right."

"Aeris?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you. For everything you've done."

Aeris smiled again "And thanks for being my friend." Her silver bracelets jangled as she held out her hand.

Tifa went to take it, wondering whether her hand would pass right through the other woman's when her phone began ringing, a pretty piano melody that she had played as a kid. It was one that Cloud said always reminded him of her.

She reached for it and flipped it open. "This is Tifa."

Marlene's voice sounded tearful over the phone and Tifa's heart twisted painfully. "Tifa you have to come home right now. Cloud's getting worse."

"I'll be right there Marlene. I'm coming right now."

Tifa stood instantly, feeling a hand against her shoulder, but when she turned to look, Aeris had gone.

"Summon Holy." The words echoed off the church walls.

"I'll try!" She shouted as she bolted from the sacred place. "Thank you!"

Once the roar of the motorcycle had faded away, Aeris knelt in prayer before the pool. "Let their love be strong enough to save them both."

Zack appeared beside her. "It will be. It has to."

* * *

Henrika- In case you're wondering, I put Tifa's phone ring as Tifa's Theme. I found it so amusing when Loz had the FFVII victory music for his ring. Heehee. And the Holy concept hit me when Vincent explained that there was something like the Lifestream in the body. So, any questions? Or have I just confused you all worse than before? Thanks for reading! 


	6. Linked

Wings of an Angel  
By Henrika

Henrika- I have a job! Hurray for me! I will try my hardest to keep updates on time, though this one was almost late because I was too tired after work to write. No worries though, keeping the fans happy comes first! As for happy though, that may not be the case because I've left you with a double cliffhanger! Sorry? Thank you to all my loyal reviewers and whoever happens to be lurking out there. This has been extremely fun fic to write with at least a few more if not a good handful of chapters left. Enjoy and review!

Note- One of the websites I visited said the monsters that attacked Cloud in Advent Children were shadow creepers, so I used them again with that name.

* * *

Tifa sped through the desert, urging the bike even faster in a effort to get to Edge before…she didn't want to think what would happen if she didn't make it in time. 

It was because of this, her thoughts racing between worst-case scenarios and ways she could call Holy that she failed to notice the three shadow creepers until they had already jumped. She was instantly grateful that she had on her gloves, spinning Fenrir around to face the monsters. The first one flew past her and a blow glanced off the second. But the third she caught head on, two hard strikes from her fists reducing the creature to dust.

She spun the bike again, a sick feeling of dread rising inside her when she spotted neither enemy.

* * *

"I think he's getting worse Marlene." Denzel said as he tried to keep a cool cloth on the forehead of Cloud's continuously tossing form. 

"Tifa should be here soon. She'll know what to do." The words sounded uncertain even to Marlene.

"What's wrong with him?"

Cloud moaned, shaking violently as his skin went even whiter.

* * *

She cast an Ice3 spell, long experience having honed her senses enough that she picked out the monster to her left. Based on the shrieking howl, she had successfully eliminated the one she had wounded earlier. Which left her with one shadow creeper in perfect health that was very pissed off about its prey attacking back. 

Tifa uneasily turned the bike back towards home.

* * *

Cloud was thrashing about now, the bandages that Tifa had replaced soaked through with the poison black of geostigma. Denzel grabbed his left arm and Marlene his right, and the children attempted to hold him down. He strained against them, easily breaking their feeble grips.

* * *

She turned the bike too hard, trying to escape the sudden whoosh of air she felt at her back. The tires skidded on the desert terrain before slipping and throwing both Tifa and Fenrir to the ground. The bike spun several times before it came to a stop, leaving Tifa with just enough strength to cast another Ice3, effectively stopping the jaws that had been just inches from closing around her.

She tried to move and screamed, pain crashing over her in a sick wave.

Her vision blurred, she managed to draw her leg out from where the motorcycle had it pinned. Deep red flooded her vision as she looked at the arm and leg that had ground so harshly into the earth.

Half the skin was gone. That alone sent her to retching into the pale dirt and sand. But it was the angle of her leg and the impossibly white shard of bone that threatened to have her evacuating the entire contents of her stomach. Her thoughts fuzzy, she tried to move far enough to grab the Cure materia from her pouch. She jostled her leg and for a moment her thoughts became sharply acute before the black overcame her and she fell unconscious on the dirt.

* * *

Cloud arched off the bed, his eyes wide and unseeing as his spine bent backwards. Marlene screamed, backing away from him. 

It only lasted a moment before he was crashing back down onto the bed. Denzel was the only one close enough to hear the soft, whispered, "Tifa" that escaped the blonde's lips before he started choking.

"Marlene!" Denzel yelled, snapping the girl out of her terrified trance. "Help me get him on his side!" She rushed to comply and the two tugged on Cloud's arm together until his heavy, muscular form was on its side. Denzel grabbed Marlene's hand and they rushed to the other side of the bed so they could pound Cloud on the back, but the man vomited over the side of the bed before they could reach him, a viscous black liquid that continued to ooze from his lips.

"We need to get help." Marlene said, tears pooling in her eyes.

"No, Tifa will be here!" Denzel said.

"We can call my daddy!"

Denzel considered it for a moment, eyeing Cloud as he heaved again. "Okay. Hurry."

Marlene scurried out of the room, racing up the stairs to Cloud's office. She quickly dialed her father's cell phone number, hopping nervously on her feet as it rang.

"Yo, this is Barret."

"Daddy?"

"Marlene? Honey, what's wrong?" He asked, instantly knowing that his daughter was crying.

"Daddy, it's Cloud! He's sick and he's throwing up black stuff and he keeps tossing around and…"

"Marlene! He's got wings!" Denzel screamed up the stairs, loud enough that Barret heard it.

"What do I do?" Marlene panicked over the phone.

"Calm down Marlene. You know the chocobo I gave you? The stuffed one?" Barret asked.

Marlene nodded before realizing her dad couldn't see her. "Yes."

"You know the jewel around its neck? It's a time materia. Remember how Yuffie taught you to use materia?"

"Yeah."

Barret was suddenly extremely grateful that he had had the foresight to give her that materia in case anything happened and grateful for once that Yuffie had rubbed off on his daughter. "I want you to cast Stop Marlene." Barret paused for a moment. "Where's Tifa? Why isn't she with you?"

"She said she was going to find out what was wrong with Cloud. I called her and she said she was coming home"

"Okay. Marlene, do you think you can cast that spell? I'm sure Tifa will be back soon, but I think she needs to handle this right from the start."

The girl straightened up, her resolve firming as she quickly wiped away her tears. "Okay. I'll do it."

"All right. You call me right back if anything goes wrong. I'll get there as soon as I can."

"Okay."

Marlene hung up and raced down the stairs to where the chocobo toy sat on her bed. She grabbed the shimmering materia from its collar and ran back to Cloud's room.

"Denzel, I know what to do!" She shouted as she stepped through the doorframe, freezing beside Denzel, who was backed against the wall. She nearly dropped the materia in shock as she saw what Denzel had screamed about moments ago.

Sprouting from Cloud's back were two enormous feathery wings, one jet black and the other pure white, save for eight brightly colored feathers and one that was blindingly white.

Marlene gasped, backing up against the same wall as Denzel. "He…he has wings." She gasped.

"What do we do?" Denzel asked, snapping her out of her shock.

"I've got it. It will be all right." She said. She clutched at the materia in her hands, gathering the magic that Yuffie had showed her how to use and concentrating on the spell hidden within the crystallized mako. She had only used small healing spells before and it was harder than she thought to cast a bigger spell. The materia shown brightly as she put every ounce of effort she could into casting the spell. "STOP!"

* * *

"Where…where am I?" 

"Hello Cloud."

"Sephiroth."

* * *

Henrika-What can I say? I'm a devious authoress. Reviews are prized and loved. And again, explanations will come in the next chapter. 


	7. The General Returns

Wings of an Angel  
By Henrika

Henrika- I'm sorry that this is so short. And somewhat confusing. Really sorry for that. Oh and that I didn't say a thing about what happened to Tifa in this chapter. Or what's _really _up with the whole wing thing. Next chapter hopefully. So sorry. Enjoy and review please?

* * *

It was gray.

All around him was empty gray space.

And right in front of him was the one-winged angel, silver hair caressing his leather clothes as he smiled and languidly flapped his pitch-black wing. "I was wondering when you'd arrive here."

Cloud instantly went to draw First Tsurugi and found that the sword was no longer at the holster on his back. In fact there was something far different there, something soft and feathery and very much attached to him. He uttered a few of the more creative curses he had learned from Cid upon realizing that they were _wings_.

Getting past that took him a few moments, but Sephiroth merely stood there, not attacking him. It took Cloud a few more moments to figure out why. Masamune was not at Sephiroth's side. Regardless of that, he refused to let his guard down, resolving to attack the man the first moment he could. He was _not_ going to let Sephiroth take him over.

"You're going to attack me the moment you see an opening, aren't you?" Cloud hesitated, surprised that his plans had already been foiled. "I suggest you have a seat, there are things you need to know."

He was too calm. It was making Cloud uneasy. The man was always calm, but always with that bordering edge of insanity. But there was no trace of that frenzied madness. It was like…Cloud gasped. He could have sworn…no, he _knew_ that that man was dead. But it was hard to deny his old memories, even if they were mixed up with Zack's. And perhaps they were stronger because of that.

"General?"

"Yes."

"But…how?"

"Do you know what's happening to you?"

"What do you mean?"

"What was the last thing you remember?"

"I was talking to Tifa."

Sephiroth sighed. "I thought so. The Planet and the Lifestream have decided to get rid of Jenova and I. You have been given Geostigma in an effort to expel us from both your body and the Planet. You are currently unconscious. This place is inside your head and was facilitated by the use of a time spell that a young girl cast."

"Oh."

"As for who I am, yes, I am the true General Sephiroth."

"But Jenova…"

"Hojo told me that was the name of my mother. He lied to me, something that happened rather frequently. It appears that my mother was a woman by the name of Lucrecia Crescent."

"But, how do you know that?"

"Puppets are made to be manipulated Cloud. You and I were made to those standards. Jenova controlled me to a much higher extent than I controlled you. She warped my mind and turned my anger to her advantage. But there were records, ones I saw when I was a very young child. They listed that woman as my mother. But Jenova and Hojo made me forget that."

"I'm sorry." The words were out of his mouth before Cloud had even realized what he'd said. Even Sephiroth looked surprised.

"The fault was theirs. As the Geostigma progresses, Jenova loses the control she had over me. Once she is gone, perhaps the Ancients will allow me to join the Lifestream instead of purging my existence from it.

"You knew what you were doing." Cloud accused. "All that time, all the places you destroyed, all the people you murdered!"

"Did you know what you were doing when you gave me the Black materia?"

"What?"

"Sometimes I knew what I was doing, other times I was unable to stop, even if I desired to do so."

Cloud heaved a breath out. "What about Aeris?"

"The one who called Holy?"

"Yes. Were you in control when you…when you…did you kill her willingly?"

"Holy was the only thing that could stop Meteor and she was the only one who could summon it. I was to ensure the Planet's destruction. It was Jenova's will and perhaps mine as well. To make the Planet suffer for my suffering."

"Did you kill her?"

"You will never accept the answer I give you. Whether it was of my own volition or not, I destroyed your town, your friends, even my own friend."

"Zack."

"Zack." Sephiroth nodded.

Cloud slumped to the ground suddenly, overwhelmed. "Why was that thing on our Planet? She ruined so many lives." His wings bent to cover him, forgotten until that moment and strangely comforting.

"It no longer matters. She will be eradicated. But you are the only one who can truly destroy her."

"Why me?"

It was a question laced with pity and Sephiroth had never had the tolerance for pity. "You were always weak. The other cadets picked on you as I remember. Yet somehow you attracted Zack's attention. Somehow you survived Hojo. Somehow you survived me. And somehow you survived Meteor and Jenova. Regardless of what you stole from Zack, you are a SOLDIER. Rise and fulfill your duty." Cloud cowered behind his wings, the feathery appendages wrapping tighter around his body.

The gray space around them shuddered like a ripple through a pond.

"Our time is getting short. I will not have you fail at the very end. Get up." The General was most decisively in control now, his commands still meriting the enormous respect they had received before _any_ of this had started.

And Cloud stood.

The General nodded, satisfied. "Come, you have much to learn in little time. And I'm sure you're curious about those." He pointed to Cloud's wings, the black and white striking out sharply against the gray; the brightly colored feathers on the white wing standing out in brilliant relief to everything around them.

"Yeah. That'd be something to know." He didn't know why, but he felt like smiling.

* * *

Henrika- _Dives for shelter._ Don't hurt me! Look, look! I even updated on time, though it was darn close cause of work. Oh well. More to come!


	8. Striving Forward

Wings of an Angel  
By Henrika

Henrika-Tifa's side of the story. Another short chapter I'm afraid. And probably one that puts some lofty claims on cure materia, but forgive me my convenient plot devices. Darn, nearly posted late again! Bah! Enjoy and Review!

* * *

Tifa gasped as she woke, a mistake considering that she instantly inhaled a large mouthful of dirt. After coughing and spitting for what felt like entirely too long, Tifa managed to breathe clearly. 

It was only then that she managed to evaluate her condition, a task made difficult by the hazy waves of pain that kept pushing her thoughts to the side. Her leg was obviously broken, the bone sticking out of her skin whiter than the sand. Her arm, though badly torn up, appeared to be otherwise unharmed. Her clothing had somehow remained completely intact, save for a tear that had almost completely ripped off the lower part of her skirt and another tear that had opened up part of her pouch. And her goggles were missing, knowledge reached when a sudden wind blew sand into her eyes.

It came back to her in a rush what had happened just before her accident, most rapidly Marlene's urgent phone call about Cloud.

_How long have I been out?_ Tifa thought frantically, almost starting to her feet before she remembered her current condition. She took a deep breath. "Okay Tifa. Focus. You need to get back to Cloud and the others. And to do that, you have to get to your materia. And to do that, you have to move without passing out." She took another deep breath. "Right. Okay. Here goes."

She gritted her teeth and reached for her pouch with her good arm. She had Full Cure in mind, confident that it would even be able to set her bone back in place. Her hand was halfway there, the pain already starting to overwhelm her when she realized one crucial thing.

The materia was no longer in her pouch.

She fell back with a scream, knowing that all her healing materia had escaped from the ripped accessory. Frustrated tears slipped from her eyes, knowing that Cloud was suffering and knowing that she couldn't get to him. The tears blurred her vision, making the green glint shining in her eyes all the brighter.

_Wait. What is that?_ Tifa scrubbed at her eyes and risked bending her body enough so that she could twist her waist around. Shimmering in the desert heat, the Full Cure materia lay a few yards from her, both gracious and taunting.

"All right Tifa. Cloud needs you to get _him_ out of a jam. You can do this." Somehow the little pep talk restored her courage, almost as if someone she knew and trusted had been the one giving it to her. Tearing a shred of leather from her ruined pouch, the woman clenched it between her teeth before reaching out her arm and gripping the sand, heaving herself forward.

She clamped down on the leather, stifling a loud cry that still managed to echo through the now-empty desert. She reached out again and dragged herself forward, hearing a sickening squelching noise as the bone receded then pushed through her flesh again. She bit down harder on the leather, knowing that she would bite clear through it if the pain intensified.

Throwing herself in the right direction a few more times, she decided that the promise she and Cloud had made by the well years ago could and would work both ways. With a sudden burst of adrenaline at the thought of Cloud, Tifa yanked her body the last few feet and her hand clamped down on the viridian materia in triumph.

She knew the materia would drain her of most of her magic ability, but she was willing to take the risk if it meant she could be back on her feet and on her way to call Holy. She still hadn't thought of a way to do it, but some things had to come first.

"Full Cure!"

The brown haired woman watched in fascination as her bone withdrew into her body, the skin sealing behind it. The skin on her arm knit itself back together neatly and the fatigue and pain that had encompassed her world briefly faded into memory.

Shakily climbing to her feet, Tifa cautiously walked forward a few steps. Finding herself still standing, she slipped the materia into an un-ruined pocket and ran for Fenrir, never gladder in her life that the Planet had given them such useful gifts.

Wrestling the bike upright had her panting by the time she finally achieved the task, but she was suddenly grateful that Cloud had had the foresight to make sure the bike was built for sudden claw and fang attacks and unfortunate wrecks. Trained eyes glanced over the machine, finding little more than a tiny scratch. Flinging her leg over the seat, Tifa started the motor, delighted when it turned over immediately.

Kicking it into motion, she tried to gauge where she was. Edge was built on the edge of the Sector 7 ruins and she had been somewhere in the desert around the outskirts of Sector 6. Leaving Sector 5 and getting back to Seventh Heaven by way of the desert was quicker considering the amount of still un-cleared roads in Midgar, but time saving travelers paid the price with heavy monster attacks.

Sand flew behind her as she urged the bike on, the strange clenching in her heart letting her know she was headed in the right direction. The road was clear ahead of her, stray monsters too skittish to attack her again after seeing the damage she could do. Tifa pulled in sight of the town in record time and barely remembered to hit the kickstand as she jumped from the bike. It was as she raced for the door that she heard the screams.

That of a young girl and then of a boy. "Marlene!"

And from inside the house she heard the unmistakable noise of flapping wings.

She hit the door running, adrenaline giving her her own wings. She was going to make good on her promises, both the one made by the well and the forgiveness she had promised Cloud last night.

But Tifa had learned never to give up without a fight. And she wasn't going to keep her second promise unless she had to.

* * *

Henrika- Sleep now for Henrika. It's 3:26 am and I sooo should have gone to bed hours ago. Oh well. I think it was worth it to bring you guys the next chapter. Let me know if you liked it! 


	9. The Color of Friendship

Wings of an Angel  
By Henrika

Henrika- Sooooo annoyed right now. I was all ready to post this on time and I find out my document manager is not working. Very frustrating. Sigh. And I was all ready to post it on time too. Anyways, sorry for being late. Enjoy and review!

* * *

The rippling gray space around them turned silver as the walls began to vibrate, pulsing harder as time went on. "The time magic is running out. Our time here will end and you will not have the knowledge you need to win this battle. Come along." 

And with one great flap of his ebony wing he lifted into the air, somehow hovering there as he waited for Cloud to join him. The spiky haired man however, was too busy wondering how the General managed to stay aloft with just one wing. And how he was supposed to fly. "Uh…"

"Flap your wings." Sephiroth supplied, tone somewhere between helpful and exasperated.

"Oh. Right." Cloud spent a few minutes trying to figure out what muscles he had to flex before he finally managed to twitch both wings. Flapping them took a bit more effort, but he accomplished that as well. Taking a running leap, he launched himself into the air; jumping up to the point where the leather clad man was waiting.

And promptly crashing right back down as he forgot to keep the wings in motion.

Sephiroth smiled bemusedly at him from above. "Perhaps you should just run and keep up with me."

Cloud looked up at him dazedly before pulling himself to his feet. He started running and Sephiroth glided forward. "Where are we going anyways?"

The silver space vibrated menacingly. "There is a place at the edge of your consciousness. From that point you will be able to free yourself from Jenova."

"And from you?" The question popped out of his mouth before he had thought about it.

Sephiroth almost looked sad. "I suppose I can never fix the damage I've done."

"No. I don't suppose you can restore my town or my family or my life." Cloud snapped, getting the strangest feeling of guilt in the pit of his stomach. _He wasn't in control of that. He was just like you._

But another voice yelled back that there was no way of knowing if his atrocities had _all_ been because of Jenova's influence.

"It's just up ahead." Sephiroth said, alighting softly on the ground ahead of Cloud. Just up ahead proved to be a glowing blue sphere, threaded through with other bright colors that matched the ones standing out against his white wing. And all around the orb was a spherical cage of the silvery material that the entire place was made up of, broken in several places.

"What is this?"

"To sum it up shortly, this is your mind. And Jenova and I have imprisoned it. You have managed to break through at many points, which is why she is so desperate to get to you now, before you destroy her control and her completely."

"Wait a second." The silver around them shook even harder than before. "What about you? Why are you no longer in control?"

"The Planet." Sephiroth answered simply.

"What about the Planet?"

"You have Geostigma. I informed you of that before. I will be rejected from your body before Jenova. Her destruction is in your hands. I no longer have control over you."

"But you just said…"

"I imprisoned you and I controlled you for my own resurrection. That power is gone now."

There was a long pause as Cloud mulled that over. "What are the colors? And the wings?"

Sephiroth began to look uneasy as a low humming began to sound throughout the space, but he answered Cloud's question. "The black wing represents your darkness and consequently myself as well."

"That sounds right. And the other one?"

"The white wing shows your good qualities and everything you've done for the Planet. And the colors on your wing and protecting your mind are your friends."

"My friends?" Cloud looked down in surprise at the colored feathers, stretching out his wing so he could see them better.

"Each color represents one of them."

"Orange. That must be Cid. It's the same shade as his waistband. Red. That could be either Vincent or Nanaki. Probably Vincent. There's an earthy brown. That must be Nanaki. He's more connected to the Planet than any of us." He reached his opposite hand over to stroke the feathers. "Green. Barret probably, with all that power. Yuffie is yellow with all that bright, enthusiastic energy of hers. And Reeve and Cait Sith have to be this gold one. " He paused for a long moment brushing his fingers over a bright pink feather. "Aeris. And the dark blue one is Zack. It's the same color as his hair." Cloud chuckled, turning to Sephiroth.

"You're missing one." The General said.

"Huh?"

"You're missing one." He repeated.

"But there aren't any more colors." Cloud protested, trying to see if he had indeed missed one.

"There was a girl in Nibelheim. One who came after me with my own sword. Very brave, though very reckless. She's saved you a few times as I recall. Look more closely at those feathers."

Cloud did so, wondering how he had managed to forget her. And then he saw it, a white feather that shone even brighter than his own. "Tifa."

"Your light. And the only one truly capable of helping you defeat Jenova." And with a sound like shattering glass, the entire place began to fall apart.

"General. What's going on?" Cloud shouted, but Sephiroth was disappearing before his eyes.

"It would appear Geostigma has finally managed to get rid of me." He said, all too calm for having half of his body not exist anymore. "Saving the Planet is up to you now, just as it's always been. You are not allowed to fail SOLDIER."

"What am I supposed to do?" The blonde yelled as Sephiroth vanished.

"Find redemption. It would appear I have." A green light appeared and encompassed the area where the elder man had stood. The Lifestream danced around the area for a moment before vanishing as well, though not before it left Cloud with words that drove him into action.

_Your light is in danger. Will you protect her, even from yourself?_

Cloud dove towards his "mind", wings driving him forward. A hideous purple light grew up in front of him and tossed him backwards, where he landed heavily on the rapidly disintegrating ground. A single figure appeared from behind the veil and spoke, sending chills down Cloud's spine.

_It is time for reunion._

_

* * *

_Henrika- And I cliffhangered you yet again. Is that even a word? Hope you enjoyed. Sorry it was late. 


	10. All in Your Head

Wings of an Angel  
By Henrika

Henrika-More intrigue, more suspense, and another cliffhanger. I'm surprised you all haven't lynched me already. Heehee. Love you all! Enjoy and review!

* * *

Tifa jumped the stairs four at a time, her shoes slipping on the landing and forcing her to slam her hand on the ground in order to propel herself forward again. The noise was deafening, Denzel and Marlene's screams rising above the noise of wings. She moved faster, comforted by the fact that she had her gloves on, but terrified of the thought that she might have to use them on Cloud.

Bursting through the doorframe, she confronted a fear she hadn't even known she'd had. Denzel and Marlene were crouched against the far wall, Denzel cradling the girl in his arms. The time materia resting near their feet spoke volumes about why Marlene looked so exhausted and why there hadn't been screaming just moments after Tifa had made it home. She had moved to stand in front of them before she even managed to acknowledge the object of their terror.

"Cloud?" She choked out, her voice drying in her throat.

* * *

There was simply no way to describe the creature that came towards Cloud, though _abomination_ sprung to his mind. It looked as though someone had taken every monster that had ever sprang from mako and pieced them all together to create the thing that now looked at him through a glowing eye. Blue skin that reeked of death, silver-white hair that reminded him eerily of Sephiroth and wings that looked almost like Bahamut's graced the body. It walked towards him and in some inane part of his brain he wondered how it could walk with such small legs and the strange appendages that hung down the side.

_Cables_. Cloud realized as he saw how they were connected to the body. They weren't connected to anything though. He wondered what that meant, deciding that it was just a faulty memory from the first time he had seen this creature, contained in a tube in Nibelheim, the tubes keeping her alive.

He started when he felt her whisper in his ear. "My cells will always return to me. I will never die."

Cloud pulled away from her quickly, jumping back as far as he could manage. "Jenova."

She smiled, which sent a thick wave of fear crashing over his spine. "You know your mother's name."

"You're not my mother."

"Are you so sure my child? It _is_ my cells inside of you." She nearly purred.

"You're not my mother!" Cloud shouted vehemently.

"Really?" And suddenly Cloud _was_ looking at his mother. "Really Cloud, how could you not know your own mother? How cruel. I guess you just haven't found the right woman to tame you and make you respectable yet."

"Mom?" He suddenly hated himself for his voice coming out so small and hopeful.

"Yes honey?"

He shook himself violently. "You're not her. You're not my mother." And Jenova appeared again.

"I am an Ancient though." She said, and quite suddenly Cloud's heart stopped beating as the creature shifted form again.

The smell of flowers filled the area, which continued to fall apart around them. And when she spoke, it was with the sweet lilting voice that he had known. "Hello Cloud. I told you I'd come back when it was all over."

He sucked in a painful breath, his heart screaming that it wasn't her and his mind willing him to believe that it was. And he wanted to. He wanted to believe so badly that it was her. "Aeris."

"Yes Cloud?" She giggled and the noise was as pure as it had always been. _When she was alive!_ His knees buckled and he fell forward at her feet, his eye line taking in scuffed brown boots and the hem of a pink dress. "Are you okay?"

"I…" He wondered what he was doing here, in this place with the disintegrating silver walls and the gigantic sphere with so many colors. Aeris knelt beside him.

"Cloud, it's okay now. I'll take care of you. You'll never have to make a decision again. I'll take control. I'll give you power. And you can protect me this time. You _will _protect me this time."

"I failed to protect you before."

She pulled him against her, stroking his hair in a motion that seemed so familiar, yet he couldn't figure out why. It almost seemed like there was someone else who had done that. "You'll protect me this time. And we'll take revenge on the Planet for abandoning me."

"What?"

"We'll destroy the Planet together. I'll make you a god." Cloud wondered why the silver around the orb was growing. It was beginning to look like chains. He felt a tug at his back and realized that the same chain was growing over the strange white wing on his back. The silvery substance began to tug at it, a sensation that was rapidly becoming painful.

"Aeris?"

"You belong to me Cloud. I'm sure you won't fail this time. I will never forgive you if you fail again."

* * *

Tifa stopped dead in her tracks in front of the children, fists raised as she struggled to understand what was right in front of her. Cloud had wings, two of them. She wondered what the white one with the colored feathers meant briefly before she absorbed the fact that Cloud had First Tsurugi drawn against the children. His eyes were unfocused, yet narrowed with an intensity that she only saw when he was ready to deal out an attack.

"Cloud?"

"Tifa!" Denzel yelled. She turned for a moment, managing to keep one eye on Cloud. Marlene had fainted in Denzel's arms. "Help! Something's not right with Cloud!"

"What happened?" She was trying to keep calm, but the fact that Cloud was ready to attack both her and the children was throwing too many instincts into play.

"Marlene cast Stop and the spell just ran out!" He was yelling, too terrified to realize that the room was deathly silent. "Cloud had wings and she cast the spell and then he drew his sword. Tifa, he tried to kill us!" He was crying, holding Marlene close to him.

"Denzel, I need you to get Marlene and yourself out of the room. Can you lift her?" She saw Denzel nod, her eyes turning back to Cloud who was strangely just standing there.

"Tifa?"

"I'll help Cloud and he can apologize for everything. Just get out of here. Get as far away as you can. Do you understand?" There was no response. "Denzel, do you understand?" She yelled. There was a terrified affirmative and Tifa felt something give in her heart when she realized that Denzel was terrified of _her_. "Go!" He ran from the room, struggling under Marlene's weight.

"Cloud, please snap out of it. Please!"

He didn't answer; simply raised the enormous sword and swung it downwards. She dodged to his left, finding the time to mourn the loss of her beautifully polished floors. The noise of flapping wings was the only warning she got before they propelled Cloud straight for her. She dodged again as the sword slammed into the spot where she had just been standing.

_How do I get through to him? _Tifa thought desperately as she dodged another swing. And then she saw the smirk that had twisted Cloud's handsome face. _He's toying with me!_

Something glimmered on the floor out of the corner of her eye and she recognized the time materia that Marlene had left behind. _If I just have a little time to figure out what to do…_ Tifa dove for the materia, the wind from Cloud's next strike powerful enough that it turned splinters into shrapnel that embedded themselves in Tifa's leg. She missed grabbing the materia and landed against the wall, launching herself again. This time she managed to grab it, white feathers brushing her back as flew beneath Cloud.

She gripped the materia in her hands, pouring energy into the materia. "Sto…" And there was nothing there. No spell, no magic, and no energy left to fight with. Full Cure had destroyed what was left of her magical reserve.

Tifa felt a shadow fall over her and looked up. "Cloud…please. Don't."

* * *

Henrika- The Jenova thing will be explained, though that particular ability was mentioned in the game. Geez, I had her screw with Cloud's mind a bit. _Just a bit. _Thanks for reviewing and I'll see you next chapter!


	11. Breaking Through

Wings of an Angel  
By Henrika

Henrika- You're going to kill me, aren't you? I have excuses to hide behind! First, I took a vacation and saw part of my family. That was what delayed me the first week. The second week's delay was caused by my keyboard. Some of you knew that my "S" key kept falling off my keyboard. I used to be able to just snap it back on and it would stay, at least for a few minutes, but it finally got to the point where I had to replace the entire keyboard in order to work. Which I did. (Stripped the screws too. Sigh.)

I know you're upset (some more than others), but I plan to make it up to you. Though I will say that the next update will come, I will no longer put a a mark on when. I will still try to keep them on time, but this way, no one is counting on me. (Cop-out).

The other part of the whole make-up plan will be announced in the next chapter, preferably as part of a landmark I am expecting for this story.

And you're REALLY going to hate me. Another cliffhanger. PLEASE don't murder me! (Fans poke Henrika's body)

Anyways, enjoy and review!

* * *

The wing at his back was being stretched, ripped away from his body by the silver chain that had encircled it. He felt something hot and sticky slide down his skin. He pulled away from Aeris, reaching around and drawing his fingers back to discover them covered in brilliant sanguine blood. His thoughts sharpened for a brief moment and he saw a beautiful church. It was her church, yet something didn't fit about the Aeris in front of him and the one in that church. The one there had been kind, had loved the Planet, had had a man with her with blue hair that she obviously loved, and had cured the Geostigma that Jenova brought. 

"Jenova!" The pink feather fluoresced, shimmering brightly and forcing "Aeris" back towards the veil that had been raised.

"Cloud! What's wrong? You're scaring me!"

"Shut up! Stop using her face!"

"Cloud…please." She was pleading, her voice small and frightened.

"Aeris! Help!" Cloud shouted, but he wasn't speaking to the girl in front of him. The pink feather glowed brightly, a bright light shining forth from it and focusing directly on the girl's face.

The face melted away, revealing Jenova, who was hissing in pain and anger. "Fool. You'll regret this."

"You used her." His rage was quiet, but palpable. The anger flooded through his body, white-hot and racing along the silvery chain that was dripping with his blood. The links blasted away from him, the feedback racing towards Jenova and driving her to the ground.

Cloud flexed his wings, adrenaline freeing him from the pain. The white wing hung limply from his back, crimson running down his back and leg, the feathers barely twitching.

"You believed it was her." Jenova rasped, standing again. "You wanted so badly to believe that your precious flower girl had returned that you actually believed I was her."

_Cloud, please_… 

"You did this to the Ancients. You changed into their loved ones, infected them with your virus and turned them into monsters."

Jenova purred. "And it worked perfectly. I destroyed the Ancients. And I will destroy this Planet. Whether you want to or not."

…_snap… of it…_

"You think you're going to use me."

…_please…_

And suddenly she was beside him, whispering in his ear. "I_ am _going to use you."

_Cloud_… 

Cloud swiped at her, but she was already beyond his range. He glanced over at the glowing sphere, the silver chains racing turbulently, almost distorting with their speed.

…_please._

"You failed the flower girl. You failed to save your best friend. And you _will_ fail to save the Planet. You _will_ destroy everything you've ever loved."

_Don't._

"Tifa."

* * *

She froze, unable to do anything but clutch at the now useless Time materia, willing that she would somehow be able to cast the spell and knowing that she wasn't able to. Cloud stood over her, First Tsurugi poised over her head. She tried to move, to get her legs under her and get out of the way, but she couldn't find the strength. The splinters embedded in her legs from the floor sent small twinges of pain through her body, but she was almost too numb to feel them. 

She hung her head, remembering her promise. He had fought and he had failed. She knew he'd tried, but she also knew he would never attack the kids if he had control. The realization of what she was about to do hung thick on her tongue and clenched her heart so hard in her chest that she stopped breathing for a moment.

It didn't occur to her that the sword above her hadn't fell. Or that Cloud had frozen strangely just as he had when he had been about to attack the children. All that occurred to Tifa was that she had an opening and she had to take it.

Even if it meant that what she was taking was Cloud's life.

She took stock of her surroundings, made her decision, and scraped together every last bit of strength she could find in her body.

In one swift movement, she got her feet underneath her and drove herself forward, her hands catching Cloud's sword hilt and forcing it away from her. The combined momentum of both her and the heavy sword propelled them backwards, forcing Cloud to drop the sword moments before they crashed through the glass window behind them. And it was as they fell the two stories down to the street, with shards of glass raining all around them, with silence rushing into her head and narrowing the world down to her descent that she heard the word that escaped Cloud's lips, his beautifully clear blue eyes capturing her own.

"Tifa."

* * *

Henrika- In case you didn't recognize the dialogue it was what Tifa was trying to say to Cloud in the last chapter. And I know it seems that he fell for Jenova-in-disguise-as-Aeris awfully easily, but I will try to clear that up a bit. Thanks for putting up with me! 


	12. Falling Angels

Wings of an Angel  
By Henrika

Henrika- This is the third time I've written this note since my computer keeps shutting down the site for some happy reason. Anyways...

As part of my "Don't kill me for late updates!" I have awarded fics to three special reviewers: Terry McElrath, Ginger Ninja, and Nentikobe. I have started working on these (trying anyways) and I will try to have them done by the end of the month (total lie, but like I said I'll give it a shot), so you guys can give them their first read. Congratulations and thank you!

And I head back up to school next week. Bah.

If you don't feel like skewering me for the late updates, enjoy and review!

* * *

A shard of glass grazed her above the eye and drew blood even as a feather gently caressed her cheek. "Cloud!" She shouted, trying to be heard above the wind rushing past them that was sending up a hail of feathers and glass. "Cloud!" 

"Tifa." He said her name again, mako-bright eyes capturing her own wine-colored orbs.

It didn't make sense to her. Moments ago, he had been ready to kill her. Had tried to kill the children. Had been Jenova's puppet again. And yet now his eyes were clear, her name slipping almost desperately from his lips. He gathered her in his arms, his wings flaring up around them, slowing their descent. He pulled her as close to him as he could.

"Help." The plea whispered in her ear, despite the fact that she knew he must have shouted it.

"What?"

"Help me. Please." Tifa could see that horrible silver beginning to fog over his eyes again.

"What do I do?" She screamed. "Cloud, what do I do?"

* * *

"She can't save you." Jenova was standing behind him, her words slithering into his head. 

"Shut up."

"The truth hurts doesn't it? It hurts you to know that no one can save you. That after all you've done to save your precious friends and your precious Planet, no one is going to come and rescue _you._"

"Stop it!" He swung at her, but she avoided his fist easily.

"I've been in your head for too long. I know exactly what you're thinking."

"You don't know anything about me." In some part of his head, he realized how petulant that sounded.

"Really? I know the village where you grew up despised you. Even _her_. She _hated_ you."

"That's not true."

"Your own memories say otherwise. Not only were you not good enough to be a SOLDIER, you barely made it as a Shin-ra trooper."

"Get out of my head."

"Your best friend merely pitied you."

"Stop."

"The flower girl only wanted a bodyguard."

"Stop it." The chains had appeared again, their pull against Cloud's body harsher than before. Blood began to pool around his knees and he wondered when he had fallen. In more ways than one he wondered about when he had fallen.

_When did this all start?_

"She won't save you."

"No." Cloud was almost moaning, trying to figure out how this creature, who had hurt him so much already, had managed to break him again.

"She used you when you were a child."

_You used me too._

"She forced you to _save_ this Planet."

_In the beginning maybe, I did it for money. But after awhile…_

"And her little attempt at a _family_." Jenova sneered. "She was only trying use you for anything she could."

_Wait, I know that's not true._

"After all, who could ever love a failure?"

_Tifa could. Tifa does. Right? She…loves me. _

"She tried to kill you. And you will die if you do not use the powers granted to you as my angel."

_Why would Tifa try to kill me?_ He pondered it for a moment, the blood loss making his thoughts fuzzy. _Because I asked her to let me die if Jenova took over. She didn't have a choice. _

"You're running out of time, even in this place. Do you want to die?"

He wondered about that for a moment. _Could I leave everyone behind? I'd be able to see Aeris and Zack. And Mom. But what about AVALANCHE? Marlene? Denzel? Hell, I think I'd even miss the Turks. And I'd miss Tifa. I asked her to help me. She can help me. I know she can._

_I love her._

"Tifa!" The whiter-than-white feather from his mangled wing pulled free and floated above his hand. The light from the feather almost burned his eyes and he vaguely heard Jenova begin to scream. The light stretched and pulled, forming into an unmistakable Buster Blade that settled gently into his hands.

He knew it wouldn't be enough to defeat Jenova; somewhere deep in his heart he knew that. But with the weight of his guilt finally gone, it didn't matter that much.

So he smiled.

* * *

Cloud's spread wings were slowing their fall, but the ground was still coming up far too fast for Tifa's liking. The man in question had slipped into unconsciousness, though his grip on her waist hadn't faltered at all. He had asked for her help, one of the few times in her life she had ever encountered the situation with him. And she refused to fail him. 

Even though she had no clue how to help him.

_Holy._

The word sprung to her mind like the answer to her problem it was. Save for the fact that she had no idea how to use it.

_Okay, Tifa. Just think this through. You are currently plummeting to your death. You just pushed Cloud out of a window in an attempt to kill him since Jenova is controlling him. Kind of. Maybe. Aeris said that the body has something like the Lifestream in it. Jenova is screwing with Cloud's in one last attempt to destroy the Planet. And Holy is magic so powerful that it can destroy Jenova and heal the damage she causes. I'm supposed to cast Holy to prevent all that from happening._

"How do I do that?" Tifa screamed in frustration, annoyed at how disturbingly easy it was to sum up the end of the world.

_All right. Calm down. If you somehow manage to cast this spell…_ Her entire thought process ground to a halt as she realized she had no magic left. The entire reason she and Cloud were falling to the earth.

It also occurred to her that falling two stories shouldn't take this long, but she was too frantic to be bothered with details.

Like the unnatural wind that was slowing their descent even more. Or the screaming from below her.

She returned to her main problem. _If I _did_ somehow have the energy to cast the spell then the fastest way for _me_ to get it to _him_ would be…_

Plan in mind, she leaned the few scant inches down to Cloud's face and kissed him, praying as hard as she could that she could save him and that they could finally be happy in their hard-won peace.

It was her last thought before the wind disappeared and they slammed into the ground, glass shards and delicate feathers raining down around them.

* * *

Henrika- Yes, falling two stories shouldn't have taken that long. But that's why we have a "strange wind" to cover that fallacy. Heh. 

Update to that point: I'm getting nailed for having a two story fall take that long. Nailed to the wall for it in fact. It was wrong of me. Honestly, I should have had them falling off a skyscraper. But, I'd point out (mostly to the reviewers who never have a profile that I can reply to) that A) I'm the one writing this. B) I can turn on review blocker. And C) That just maybe I have something else up my sleeve concerning the darn fall. Time has a funny tendency of screwing with people in danger. And I intend to use that to my advantage. Like maybe saying that the fall did occur from full height. And that even though the weakest member of AVALANCHE could probably survive such a fall, you have to remember that thetwo are not in the best of physical condition at the moment.And maybe, just maybe I can explain all this in a way that will satisfy everyone?

...I seem annoyed, don't I?

Anyways I really liked the imagery I saw for this one in my head. Tried to get my words to convey it, but I think some of it got lost in translation. Hope you enjoyed it. Review please! Next chapter will come as soon as I manage toget my muses back into shape!


	13. Coming Full Circle

Wings of an Angel  
By Henrika

Henrika- I know, I know, no excuse. However, I do have a few of them! Like helping with my sorority's recruitment. And then a raft trip. And then horrible, unexplained pain for two weeks off and on until Henrika finally had enough and went to a doctor. They told me that my entire back was in spasm and gave me muscle relaxers, which helped.

Not much I can say beyond that. I'm sorry though, for making you all wait that long.

As for the story itself, it is drawing to a close. I'm positive I will have an epilogue, and maybe another chapter or two. Either way they will contain the explanations that so many of you vehemently demanded from the last chapter. (And line breaks are malfunctioning for some reason. Just so you know.)

On another note, my apologies to Terry McElrath and Nentikobe. I _am_ working on your fics ( I have ideas and outlines and everything) but they will be coming later than I had planned. My sincerest apologies.

That being said, enjoy the chapter. Review if you would be so kind. And thanks for sticking around and giving me all the support you have. All of you guys are awesome!

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Black blood began to ooze onto the silver floor as Jenova's screams echoed around the crumbling space. "You'll die with me!" She threatened, struggling to flee Cloud's sword.

The blonde man simply hefted the heavy white blade and twirled it above his head a few times before he brought it down, the sheer force of the movement sending Jenova sprawling. "If I take you with me, if I can finally protect my family and friends, if I can save this Planet, I don't see that as being such a bad thing."

The Buster Blade descended again, this time striking Jenova across the chest. "My cells will live on!" She raged at him, desperation thinly veiled as pain and the realization of her fate began to dawn on her. "I'll infect your friends when they come to mourn you! I'll drive them mad and I will destroy this Planet and any other I can find!"

"You honestly believe that any of them would let that happen?"

"They'll become my puppets!" She was screeching now; using her weak, tiny arms to try to stem the flow of rushing black blood. "You will never be rid of me!"

Cloud thought about that for a moment before breaking into a grin that he knew belonged to Zack. "I think you're wrong." He moved to swing the sword again, though this time he struck the silver chains that had surrounded his mind. They snapped and clattered to the floor, causing Jenova to scream again. "I take that back. You _are_ wrong. All the crimes you've committed, all the lives you've destroyed, everything ends right here and now."

It was as his lips closed around the last word that he felt something ghostly brush against them. "Tifa?" Her image sprang to his mind, her smile already giving him strength before he felt and saw the greenish-white light surging through his body. He felt the torn white wing re-knit to his body, the crimson stain disappearing from the white feathers.

He turned to Jenova, watched her glowing eyes widen in horror as the light traveled down the length of the Buster Blade. He drew the sword back before pivoting on his feet and driving it into Jenova's head. She let out a final howl as she felt the purifying light rupture each and every last one of her cells. "Goodbye." Cloud murmured before the light burst before his eyes in a brilliant white before fading to black.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

An impressive crater had formed in front of the bar known as Seventh Heaven. The impact that had formed it had drawn the attention of many of the residents of Edge, who began to carefully and slowly move in to see what had caused it.

Their caution however, was not employed by two men who knew exactly what had caused the disturbance, albeit lacking details of _why_.

Upon arriving at the lip of the hole, the man with long red hair scrambled down into it, while his bald partner pulled out a cell phone, ready to make any of the necessary calls, for good or ill.

Both of them were forced to stop though, as a blindingly beautiful light surrounded the two figures lying entwined at the bottom of the crater.

"Holy…" Reno was tempted to finish with an expletive before he realized that was indeed what the light was.

A terrible, animal scream ripped through the tranquility, causing everyone to shudder. But once the scream had died, the light grew even brighter, threading through the two bodies it had encompassed. It disappeared after that in a final blaze, but everyone who had a clear vision of the event swore that in that flash, three people had stood beside the fallen pair. A woman and two men.

As Reno would later omit from the report he and Rude were forced to file on the incident, he saw Sephiroth, a SOLDIER named Zack who had been part of the Nibelheim incident, and the Ancient that he had gone to so much work to help kidnap once, Aeris. And he saw them all smiling.

Then they were gone and there was nothing left but a bloodied woman with long brown hair and a man with blond hair and tattered wings.

Perhaps it was a strange thing to notice first, out of all the things in this situation the Turk should have noticed first, that the pair still had their lips locked together and their arms wrapped around one another.

He looked back up at Rude for some sort of confirmation and his partner nodded, encouraging him to get the most unseemly part of this job over.

Reno moved closer to Cloud and Tifa, kneeling by their heads as he reached out his fingers and checked first one pulse, than the other. Another thing omitted from his report was the sigh of relief he released upon finding that both of them actually had pulses.

He gave Rude a thumbs-up and the man began dialing a number as Reno climbed up to join him. "They're alive. You're welcome. No, we're used to getting threats. The President still has Elena and Tseng at his command at this moment. He can live without us for a few hours." Reno was certain he saw the faintest glimmer of a smirk on his partner's face before it disappeared. "It would be wise for you to send medical assistance. We're not qualified to evaluate their condition. Yes sir. Good-bye." He snapped the phone shut.

"Reeve apologized for threatening to make us chocobo muckers for the rest of our miserable lives if we didn't help?" The redhead asked, bemused.

"He was upset at the time."

"Had to have been. First he gets a call from the guy with the gun for an arm…"

"Barret." Rude supplied.

"Yeah, him. Gets a call from him telling him that Cloud's gone psycho _again_ and is trying to kill another one of his friends and some kids. Sounds like he had grounds, yo?

"Hn."

"C'mon and help me with these two." He jerked his thumb behind him, seeing Rude's eyes go wide behind his sunglasses. "What?" The man simply pointed and Reno whipped around, nearly knocking said man over in the process. "Holy shit." Reno managed to complete the phrase this time upon seeing what Rude had.

The wings, black and white, had risen in tandem and surrounded Cloud and Tifa. Both of who were still unconscious. "How did…?" Rude never got the chance to finish his question as the explosion knocked everyone in the general vicinity off his or her feet.

When Reno managed to open his eyes again, wondering if he wasn't going to be blind from all the explosions he had been involved in lately, not to mention his hearing, he saw that Cloud's wings were gone.

And that Tifa was no longer bloody.

And that the sky was raining feathers.

And that Cloud was awake, his brilliant blue eyes visible even from a distance.

Cloud stared up into the sky, Tifa's body warm against his. He watched as a single feather descended with purpose towards him, one he recognized. It was an ethereal white, the one that represented her pure light and love. The one that had saved him. He watched it float gently down next to them and he was reminded of a black feather doing the same thing. Tears pooled in his eyes once again, but for once in his life, Cloud Strife was crying with joy. And when Tifa opened her eyes and leaned down to kiss him again, he felt hope for the first time since the days when he had sat on the well with her and dreamt of their future.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Henrika- And we come full circle. Thanks again! Review please!


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